This invention relates to a crust arrangement for a pizza-type product or other such food product having an exposed crust edge.
A pizza-type product typically includes a leavened bread crust having an outer edge and defining an interior. Ingredients such as sauce, cheese and other toppings are placed over the interior of the crust, leaving the outer edge of the crust exposed. The pizza is then baked in an oven to heat the various ingredients and to bake the crust. The crust underlying the ingredients is normally softer than the edge of the crust, due to the crust absorbing a certain amount of moisture from the overlying ingredients, which also function to prevent the upper surface of the crust from being directly exposed to the heat of the oven. After baking, the pizza is cut into pieces for serving.
Some consumers of pizza prefer pieces having an exposed crust edge. The exposed crust edge can make the piece of pizza easier to handle by enabling a person to hold the piece of pizza in an area other than the moist interior crust area. Others prefer "crust pieces" because they like the taste of the crust.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pizza crust having an increased length of exposed crust edge as compared to the traditional pizza crust, which has an outer crust edge defined by the outer periphery of the crust. It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of increasing the length of the exposed crust edge in a pizza product. A further object of the invention is to provide such a pizza crust and method which is relatively simple to obtain and which provides enhancements in production and marketing of pizza products.
In accordance with the invention, a pizza crust having an outer peripheral edge and an interior is provided with a gap in its interior to define a pair of spaced crust edges, located inwardly of the outer peripheral crust edge. The gap defines spaced interior crust edges, such that an inner portion of the crust includes an outer crust edge and an outer portion of the crust includes a pair of crust edges, one of which is defined by the overall outer edge of the crust and the other of which is defined by the edge of the outer crust portion bordering the gap. In a preferred form, the gap is annular so as to define a peripheral outer crust edge for an inner portion of the crust and a peripheral inner crust edge for an outer portion of the crust, with the peripheral crust edges being spaced from each other. The gap or space may be formed in the crust in any satisfactory manner. For example, the crust may be first cut with a circular cutter, which is then rotated about an eccentric axis such that the action of the cutter functions to create the gap in the crust as the cutter is rotated. This action of the cutter also functions to build up the height of the crust edges, which assists in retaining the sauce and other ingredients in the area of each crust portion inwardly from the crust edges. Alternatively, the gap may be formed by employing a cutter having spaced cutting edges, such that the cutter functions to remove a peripheral ring of crust between the inner and outer portions of the crust.
The invention further contemplates a method of making a pizza crust having an increased exposed edge length and a method of making a two-piece pizza crust, substantially in accordance with the foregoing summary.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.